NBA

Jimmy Butler is opening up about his decision to leave the 76ers ... admitting he felt like he had no idea what was going on or "who the f*** was in charge."

Butler's time in Philly was short and had its fair share of drama ... and now the 30-year-old is explaining to 'The JJ Redick Podcast' what was so challenging for him last season.

“Hell yeah, it was difficult. It was so different,” Butler told his old teammate. “And, on any given day, me as a person and as a player, I didn’t who the f*** was in charge."

"I think that was my biggest thing. I didn’t know what the f*** to expect whenever I would go into the gym, whenever I go into the plane, whenever I got into the game.”

"I think I was as lost as the next motherf***er."

Butler explains his frustrations stemmed from so many voices trying to be heard ... and meetings where "nothing got accomplished at all."

The now-Miami Heat star -- who signed a 4-year, $141 million deal this off-season -- shares the moment he knew he'd leave ... saying someone had asked if he could be "controlled" if he stayed in Philly.

"I was like, ‘You don’t got to worry about it. Sh*t, can’t nobody f***ing control me.’"

"For one, I ain’t just out there doing no bullsh*t. But, the fact that you’re trying to control a grown man? Nah, I’m cool. 'Cause I don't do nothing that's just drastically f***ing stupidly crazy. I do not do that."

Kevin Durant enlisted one of his good buddies to keep his spirits high during his Achilles recovery on Tuesday night  ... hitting up an L.A. hot spot together for a night on the town.

Oh, yeah ... and that friend is Drake!!!

Of course, KD is still working to get back on the court following the devastating injury he suffered in Game 5 of the NBA Finals last season ... and it's been going VERY well -- the dude is already dunking in pick-up games again!!

The Brooklyn Nets superstar stayed busy while his team was in town to play the LA Lakers ... hitting up The Nice Guy in West Hollywood for a good time.

FYI -- Drake and KD are solid buds despite their teams going against each other in the Finals last season ... and Drizzy was very emotional in the crowd when Durant went down with the injury.

On top of that, Aubrey loves to name-drop Durant in his songs ... so the meet-up ain't all that surprising.

A Lakers fan -- who clearly hates the Clippers -- drove the WRONG WAY down a 1-way street ... just so he could scream, "F*ck Kawhi," at Lakers player Jared Dudley.

It was super dangerous and unnecessary ... but also ... kinda funny.

Dudley was hanging in Beverly Hills Sunday after the Lakers beat the Clippers in a 112 to 103 showdown at Staples Center.

We were talkin' with Dudley about LeBron James' statements on coronavirus and how he wouldn't play if the NBA blocked fans from attending games ... when all of a sudden, the heckler appeared.

Fortunately, no one was hurt ... but it got a smile from Dudley and our photog.

Ex-Knicks player Chris Childs says ever since Kobe Bryant's death, fans have been bringing up their fight from back in the day ... but those fans need to chill --- 'cause Chris says he and Kobe were cool!!!

"Nah, it was never a beef," Childs says, "It was just something that happened. We let bygones be bygones."

If you don't remember this epic fight ... back in April 2000, Childs and Bryant threw hands during a Knicks vs. Lakers game --- and Childs got the best of Kobe with a 2-piece to the grill.

Since Bryant's death on Jan 26, Childs tells us Mamba fans have been going at him on social media about the fight ...  but he just tries to stay calm and hit 'em back with some positive vibes!

"I just told them let's just pray for the family. Let's not get into the that part of the basketball side. Let that rest right now."

"Let's not be ignorant and continue to talk about something that at that moment, doesn't matter."

In fact, Childs says he and Bryant were fine after that fight -- they would run into each other at UCLA during workouts and there's was NEVER any smoke.

"We always gave each other the head nod, ya know, acknowledging the other person."

Of all the murals dedicated to Kobe Bryant and Gianna, Vanessa Bryant seems to have found one she adores ... 'cause she just snapped a pic of her oldest daughter in front of it.

Vanessa posted a sweet tribute Sunday to her late husband and daughter, showing off 17-year-old Natalia in front of a gorgeous piece of art depicting Kobe and Gigi. Natalia is beaming in a beautiful dress -- apparently, her high school winter formal is upon us.

VB captioned the post, "💖 my babies. Natalia. #winterformal." The artwork behind Natalia is stunning -- it shows Kobe kissing Gigi on the head with a halo above. They're both drawn in with black and white against a sky blue backdrop. Looks to be in a public space too.

We did a little digging and weren't able to locate this specific mural among the many that have popped up over the past two months since Kobe and G's tragic deaths.

GORDON HAYWARD IS HAPPY!!!!

The Boston Celtics star is expecting his 4th kid with wife Robyn -- and after that lackluster gender reveal moment back in 2018 ... ya gotta feel stoked for the guy!

Remember, back in July 2018, Robyn revealed to Gordon that she was pregnant with a little girl ... making it 3 girls to 0 boys.

Gordon's reaction was priceless ... a look of disappointment -- followed by that infamous line, "Daddy's always happy."

Of course, Hayward is happy to be a #GirlDad, but now he's got ANOTHER kid on the way -- and this one is a male. In other words, Gordon got his wish!

Robyn and Gordon, who are very self-aware, made a joke about the gender reveal ... posting, "Baby G coming in September *** yes, it’s a boy."

So, congrats to the whole Hayward family ... and to the fetus -- no pressure kid!

Draymond Green is coming at Charles Barkley's neck ... firing back at the Hall of Famer's criticism by saying Chuck's simply not qualified to comment on his game because he never won a 'ship!!!

Of course, Draymond and Chuck pretty much hate each other ... and Barkley has stopped at nothing to make fun of Green for averaging a "triple-single."

Green was asked about the criticism at Warriors practice Friday ... and oooooh boy, did he go off.

"Barkley should stop before I take his job, though." Green said. "I can do that well, too."

"If he keep talking, I'll take it soon. Sooner than he thinks. He probably should be quiet."

"He also can't talk basketball with me either. Not smart enough, not qualified. No rings, can't sit at this table."

DAMN, DRAYMOND!!!

Look, it's true -- Barkley never won a title, but that doesn't mean he's not one of the greatest players in the history of the game.

Remember what Robert Horry (who has 7 rings) told us -- "idiots" use rings to determine greatness. Just putting that out there.

The NBA has hit Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban with a $500,000 fine for publicly blasting NBA refs in the wake of a controversial call in a Feb. 22 game.

But, the NBA and Commish Adam Silver are making it clear, they're FURIOUS with Cuban -- and they're hoping the massive fine will send a strong message to the rest of the league.

Here's the deal ... Cuban went CRAZY on the refs and the league over a goaltending call in the final seconds of a Mavericks vs. ATL Hawks game.

Cuban felt the refs did his team dirty and ultimately blamed the officials for the Mavericks ultimately losing the game.

The NBA says, "Immediately after the game ended, Mr. Cuban walked onto the court and approached game officials shaking his head and directing comments toward them."

After the game, Cuban continued to rip the refs to reporters and then sounded off on Twitter.

The NBA says the comments were "highly critical, personal and demeaning to the league and its officiating staff."

Cuban had filed an official protest hoping the league would rule to replay the end of the game -- but his appeal was denied.

In a strongly-worded statement, the league ripped Cuban for his behavior -- saying he's setting a terrible example for the rest of the league, sending a bad message to fans and creating an "intimidating workplace environment."

Here's the official language ...

"It is a recognized part of sports for fans and the media at times to criticize officiating, but team executives must be held to a higher standard."

"A team owner’s effort to influence refereeing decisions during and after a game creates the perception of an unfair competitive advantage and thereby undermines the integrity of the game."

"Demeaning league employees also creates an intimidating workplace environment. With an increased focus on respectful conduct by coaches, players and fans during games, the actions of team executives should set an example and not lower expectations for appropriate behavior in our arenas."

What's the best part of becoming an overnight superstar thanks to a viral 3-point basketball shot!?

Jackson State team manager Thomas "Snacks" Lee says he got a personal message from his hoops hero Kevin Durant ... and he's STOKED!!!

"Kevin Durant has been my favorite player since he played at Texas," Snacks told TMZ Sports ... "I've got an enormous collection of KD jerseys!"

Well, Durant became a fan of "Snacks" this week after he saw that amazing footage of Lee achieving his dream and checking into a Division 1 basketball game ... hitting a DEEP 3 in the process.

"I see you snipe," Durant said to Snacks on social media.

Snacks says he was PUMPED to get love from KD -- telling us he's been calling himself "Fat Durant" for years ... and was honored to hear from the man himself!

And it's not just KD, Snacks has become a star on campus at Jackson State -- telling us, "After the game, fans showed mad love. My phone from 10 PM last night 'til now, I had to keep my charger on me because it's just constantly going off."

Jackson State takes on Alabama State on Thursday -- hopefully, we get more Snacks!!!!

Ex-Knicks stud Chris Childs is going off on James Dolan ... telling TMZ Sports the New York owner mishandled the Spike Lee situation and is turning the team into a JOKE!!!

"This has to stop because it's starting to be the laughingstock of the league," Childs says. "And, I hate to see that."

If you missed it, Lee and the Knicks spent all of Tuesday fighting over the entrance the movie mogul used at Monday night's game. In fact, the beef got so bad, Spike vowed to not return to MSG again this season.

We spoke with Childs -- who played with the Knicks from 1996-2001 -- and he's laying the blame for all of the drama squarely at Dolan's feet.

"Spike Lee has been coming to these game forever," Childs says. "If he wants to land a helicopter through the roof, let him!"

Childs added, "He hasn't done anything, but support that franchise when they're at their lowest. So, how do you embarrass that man like that with your flashlight cops? Tell him he can't use that entrance? And, that only comes from the top."

Childs says Dolan is allowing his personal feelings to get in the way of properly running the team ... and tells us the guy's issues with Lee, Charles Oakley and combative fans at MSG prove that.

"So, let's stop playing games," Childs says. "Keep it a buck. Dolan, you're in your feelings right now and you're just picking on everybody."

"It seems that he's so sensitive. He has rabbit ears. He hears everything and it gets to him."

Of course, Childs has had his own battle with Dolan in the past ... remember, back in 2017, he was famously not invited to the reunion of the 1998-99 Knicks squad.

NBA player Allen Crabbe just struck a plea deal in his drunk driving case ... and won't spend any time behind bars.

27-year-old Crabbe -- who most recently played for the Minnesota Timberwolves -- was pulled over on June 26 in West Hollywood after officers said he showed "signs of driving under the influence."

A TMZ Sports cameraman was nearby when Crabbe was pulled over ... and captured the field sobriety test on video.

It didn't outwardly appear AC bombed the test ... but he was still arrested and charged with DUI.

However, on Thursday, Crabbe pled no contest to a lesser charge ... 1 misdemeanor count of "engaging in a motor vehicle exhibition of speed on a highway."

The 6'6" hooper was sentenced to 3 years probation ... as well as being ordered to complete 2 DUI education courses.